1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a display unit back wall and a display unit incorporating this wall.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present invention is more specifically concerned with a back wall made up of two parallel uprights which together form a slideway. A plurality of slats can be stacked between the uprights, at least some of them including accessory attachment means.
Product suspension rods, shelves and brackets can be attached to the resulting wall to constitute gondola (free-standing) or against the wall display units for use in supermarkets, for example.
To assemble the display unit a crossmember is required between the uprights to hold them parallel so that the slats can be slid between them.
Various embodiments of these crossmembers have been proposed for prior art devices.
Use of at least three parts, i.e. two uprights and one crossmember, wastes considerable time during assembly because of the need to connect the parts together.
Also, the type of crossmember used usually conditions how the back wall is used: in a display unit placed against a wall, as the back wall of a gondola or as the back wall of a gondola's upper part. If the use is changed it is necessary to dismantle the display unit and therefore the back wall.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,783 describes a display unit back wall comprising a one-piece U-shape frame with two channel-section uprights and a channel-section crossmember adapted to receive a plurality of slats coupled together beforehand.
A panel of this kind can be used for small panels but is not mechanically strong enough for large panels or for other applications such as backing walls for gondolas or other display units.
Document EP-A-0 212 996 describes a panel for exhibition use, etc associated with a frame comprising two tubular uprights joined together at the bottom by a horizontal crossmember. Another horizontal crossmember is removably attached to their upper ends. U-section members are attached to the inside of the uprights and the lower crossmember of the frame to form slideways adapted to receive a panel carrying on one or both sides a series of shaped members for fixing sundry accessories. The side tubes project some considerable distance beyond the slideways and increase the weight of the assembly whilst reducing the usable surface area relative to the overall dimensions.
An object of the present invention is to alleviate these drawbacks.